My Place in this World
by SapphoSnape
Summary: Ron's infidelity turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Hermione ends her passionless romance and finds something richer in Forks.
1. Chapter 1

**My Place in this World**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Rowling or Meyer, and I have no intention of making profit from my work. I just want to play with their characters a bit. :)

The war had finally come to an end, and I honestly had no clue what to do in a life where I was no longer consumed by anxiety and danger. Prior to the war, I had such high aspirations. I wanted to pursue my education in multiple fields—particularly potions and charms—but it did not seem so important to me anymore. Perhaps I just needed a break, and that was what Ronald unwittingly gave me.

Did he do this out of the kindness of his heart? No. However, his actions definitely gave me a chance to grow on my own, out of the ever-present spotlight that came with being a member of the "Golden Trio."

After the Final Battle, the members of the Order, and many others among the magical community were so happy to be alive that we acted perhaps a bit rashly. Ronald and I had not been dating long, but we decided to move in together and continue our romance. I suppose at the time I fancied it a great love, but in retrospect, it was more of an expected relationship. Everyone thought we were going to end up together, but we truly did not make much sense as a couple. In the back of my mind, that truth existed and attempted to persuade me to move on with my life without my red-haired beau, but I quickly muffled that portion of my consciousness. Truthfully, I may still be with him today if it was not for his inability to stay faithful.

Had I been paying attention, I may have seen the signs that he was having an affair with another. He often smelled of a very strong perfume, but I thought perhaps it was just from the women that surrounded him in the menial office job he took at the ministry. Eventually, he wanted to become an auror, but he too seemed to desire a break from the chaotic lifestyle we'd been leading since adolescence. Certainly he had numerous female admirers. As a war hero, women flocked to him to offer their gratitude through gifts and propositions. It never really bothered me. He enjoyed the attention, and I believed that he loved and admired me enough to prevent him from straying.

Another indicator should have been his late nights at the office, and the disheveled appearance he had when he would come home afterward. Truly, his job was not so important that he needed to stay late, but I thought that perhaps his propensity for procrastination required his attendance after work. I probably never would have caught him if he had not brought this lewd behavior into our house.

Ronald had not expected me home for several more hours. I had been working at the ministry in an entirely different branch. I had been studying under a well-known potions master, and we tested new potions and ingredient combinations. It was utterly fascinating, and I probably would have continued down that path if I had not arrived home early that Friday afternoon.

Upon my arrival, I had not expected Ronald to be home, but I soon saw the plastic containers that once held food strewn across the countertops, and it alerted me of his presence. Rolling my eyes, I quickly disposed of his trash, having long ago become accustomed to his less-than-stellar housekeeping skills, and I went upstairs to our bedroom, thinking I would find him napping. However, as I made it to hallway just outside of our bedroom, I started hearing grunts. I quickly took out my wand, realizing something was out of place, and I inched the bedroom door open only to see Ronald naked and sweating on top of a blonde coworker.

They did not hear me, but my first thought was to hex both of them. I felt so angry, humiliated, and foolish. After nearly unleashing a few particularly nasty spells at the two fornicators, I collected myself, and instead went to grab the magical camera I had received from Harry as a birthday present last year. I took two pictures of them in case anybody had any doubts about why the relationship was coming to an end. I thought the pictures could speak quite clearly in the event that he attempted to turn this on me to save his own pristine reputation. I stuck one picture on the refrigerator…for I knew he'd find that note there before any other place…along with a note telling him under no uncertain terms that our relationship no longer existed.

After writing the note, I realized the gravity of my situation. I could stay in the house and kick Ronald out without any reproach from anyone in the community, but I could not stand to see the looks of pity that I knew would paint the faces of my friends and acquaintances. No, I had to find somewhere else to go, at least for a while. For a while, I considered Australia. My parents had decided to stay there after I came to return their memories to them. At first, they were quite disgruntled and upset, but they realized my good intentions, and forgave me rather quickly. They would let me stay with them, but I truthfully did not feel the urge to move back in with my parents after all I'd been through. I could not stand the thought of being treated like a teenager after all of my life experiences, so I thought about other family members.

The only person with whom I thought I could stay for an extended period of time was my Uncle Charlie. He is the older brother of my mother, and he lives in Forks, Washington. I haven't seen him much since I turned eleven, but he always was quiet and did not pry into my life in the manner my grandparents and other family members did. He was much more relaxed and laid-back, but he was genuinely a caring person. I penned a quick note to Harry and Ginny explaining the circumstances around my departure, and I sent it with my owl Eclipse before apparating to the Ministry to inform my department of the resignation of my imminent departure.

They took the news rather well, although they were sad to see me leave, and with that out of the way, I called my uncle on my cell phone. The phone rang three times before I heard his gruff voice."

"Hello?"

"Hey, Uncle Charlie. It's Hermione."

"Hermione? Wow. It's been a long time. How have you been?" he asked, clearly shocked by my call. I could only recall ever speaking with him on the phone twice, and both times were after he has spoken with my mother first.

"I've been fine, Charlie. How have you been?"

"I've been good. Bells moved in with me a few months ago. It's been nice having her around for a change," he responded.

After a bit more small talk, I told him the reason behind my calling. I explained to him the situation I was in with Ronald, and I asked if I could stay with him for a while.

"Sure, 'Mione. You know you're always welcome here. I have one bedroom left, it's rather small, but hopefully it'll work for now. I'm sure Bells will be very excited to hear that you're coming. She asks about you from time to time. Let me know when you'll be flying into Seattle, and I'll be there to pick you up from the airport."

"Thank you so much. I will be in touch. I have a few loose ends to tie up here, but I plan to leave tomorrow if at all possible."

"Sounds great. I'll hear from you soon, then."

"Talk to you soon. Goodbye, Charlie."

I hung up my phone, and let out a sigh that I hadn't been aware I was holding in all day. Deciding that I did not want to risk running into Ronald at Harry's place, I rented a room in Diagon Alley and made flight arrangements, planning on removing my personal items from my house in the morning, hopefully without running into Ronald. I fell asleep feeling nervous and anxious about my new beginning, but also somewhat content in the fact that I would no longer be following my expected path. I'd be branching out on my own, no longer one of the "Golden Trio;" instead, just Hermione Granger. I'd have my own identity that I could form without my fame overshadowing me.


	2. Chapter 2

**My Place in this World**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Rowling or Meyer, and I have no intention of making profit from my work. I just want to play with their characters a bit.

Chapter 2

When I woke up early the next morning, I found Eclipse patiently waiting for me to get out of bed and remove the two notes attached to him. I quickly got up and grabbed a couple of owl treats to reward his patience, and untied the letters. There was one from Harry, and one from Ginny.

_Hermione,_

_I am so sorry about what Ron did to you. I still find it hard to believe. I thought he was head-over-heels in love with you. I'm very disappointed in him, but this puts me in a really awkward position. I'm not sure what to do with him. He came over to our house last night, and he pretty much camped out in our living room, assuming you would come over at some point. He's still on our couch, looking at the fireplace. I want to kick him out, and Ginny almost did kick him out when he first arrived, but he's still one of my best mates. He's just a very, very stupid man._

_Are you sure that you have to leave the country? You realize how much everyone will miss you, right? We could try to keep him away from you. I know you don't want to see him, but I want to be able to see you too. I know Ginny feels the same way. I'm sure she's writing you something similar in her letter. Please, just think about it a while longer. If you do end up leaving, I'll understand, but you absolutely must stay in touch and visit!_

_Love,  
Harry_

_Hermione,_

_My brother is such an idiotic prat! If Harry wouldn't have stopped me last night, I would have hexed him into next week and kicked him out of our home. Do you believe he actually had the nerve to stay at our house? He knew how upset I was at him, and he wouldn't leave. Seemed convinced that you were coming over here to stay the night. I honestly thought you were going to pop in too, but you probably realized that he'd be here waiting for you. _

_Wait until my mom hears about this. She will make him regret his actions more than anyone else. You know how much she loves you, and how disappointed she will be. I hope she makes him feel like scum. That's how he's acting. _

_Oh, 'Mione, I understand that you need to get away for a while, but please don't stay for long, and promise to write me! I will miss you more than you can imagine. You're my best girl friend. Now who is going to keep me sane with all the boys running around here? _

_I was thinking that you should get an early start packing if you want to grab your stuff. Let me know if you want my help. I'll go to the flat with you and make sure he doesn't bother you if he does happen to come home while you're there. _

_Love Always,  
Ginny_

I decided to take Ginny up on her offer, and I sent Eclipse to her with a message simply saying "_I'll be headed there soon. Meet me there whenever you can. Love, Hermione."_ I showered and magically cleaned the clothes that I wore yesterday prior to clothing myself. I had been in such a rush to get out of there yesterday that clean clothing was not on my priority list. I would find something else to put on as soon as I arrived at my flat. After taming my hair into glossy curls, I apparated to my old home.

Everything was pretty much how I had left it yesterday. It seemed rather obvious that Ronald found the note and went over to see Harry and Ginny directly. I went upstairs to find the bed unmade, and the image of Ron and his coworker flashed through my head. I shivered in disgust and looked away, directing my attention to my closet. I took out a grey pencil skirt and a black, silk blouse and quickly changed prior to magically packing shrinking and packing all of my clothing. I didn't want to take anything else from my room. It would remind me of Ronald, which would be very unpleasant.

Next, I went to the bathroom and packed up all of my toiletries. When I had finished, I heard a distinct _pop_ and realized that someone was here. Hopefully it was Ginny and not my prat of an ex-boyfriend. Thankfully, as I peered down the stairs, it was Ginny, and she came sprinting up the steps to engulf me into a warm, Mrs. Weasley-style hug.

"So, how's the packing coming along?" she asked. I could tell it was hard for her to be excited for my departure, but she was attempting to sound supportive.

"Well, I took all of my clothes and bathroom items. I'm not honestly sure what all to take. I know I won't have much room at Charlie's house, so I'll probably just leave most of it with Ronald. I do want to pack my photo albums and books, but that will probably be all. Ronald can keep the rest. I don't particularly want any reminders of our relationship when I'm in Forks."

"Forks? Where in the world is Forks?" Ginny questioned.

"It's a small town in Washington, USA. I'm sure it won't be nearly as exciting, but it'll give me a place to think and relax. You mustn't tell Ron where I'm going. I do not want him popping in to visit."

"Oh, I would never tell him. He doesn't deserve you. He never did. Harry's keeping him busy at the moment. They're out flying, so we shouldn't have any unexpected visitors, but all the same, we should probably get you packed up and out of here. You probably have a flight to catch later today anyway, don't you?

"Yeah, I'm leaving in about three hours. I do need to finish packing."

We descended the steps in companionable silence, and we proceeded to shrink and pack dozens of photo albums along with my massive collection of books to take with me. It didn't take long, and I decided that I wanted to say goodbye to Harry prior to leaving the country for an undetermined amount of time.

"Are you sure you want to return to our house? I'm sure Ron's still going to be there, and I know you don't want to run into him." Ginny asked, genuinely concerned.

"I just really need to say goodbye to him. You two are my best friends. I can't leave without at least saying goodbye."

Ginny nodded understandingly, and with a pop we apparated to her home with all of my suitcases. As soon as I arrived in her living room, I felt strong arms pull me into a hug, but I could tell that they weren't Harry's…


	3. Chapter 3

**My Place in this World**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Rowling or Meyer, and I have no intention of making profit from my work. I just want to play with their characters a bit.

Chapter 3

"Hermione! I knew you would come to your senses! You know that we belong together. I just made one little mistake. You're far too logical to throw out our relationship over something so small. Why do you have suitcases? Are we taking a trip somewhere?" Ronald rattled out in one breath

At first, I froze. I had expected him to be there, but I had not expected him to touch me. As soon as the shock faded, I felt my face reddening and my body shaking it quiet anger. Once he finished his babbling, I freed myself from his clutches, disgusted by our bodily contact, and my hand formed a fist which connected with his nose in a distinct crack. Instantly I knew I had broken it, and I watched his blood spill onto the carpet. I flashed an apologetic look at Ginny and Harry, but if anything they seemed amused by my actions. Ginny was smirking at her older brother, and Harry was attempting (half-heartedly) to turn his laughter into coughs.

Ron gaped at me, astonished that I would actually hit him. Pinching his nose in attempt to slow the bleeding, he exclaimed, "What the hell was that for?" in a very nasal tone.

"You are asking me why I punched you? Less than 24 hours ago, I found you in our bed with another woman, and then you had the nerve to wrap your arms around me and talk about _me_ coming to my senses? You're lucky I did not do more to you and your mistress." I seethed out in a deathly, quiet tone.

"Hermione, it was one time! She's hardly my mistress. It didn't mean anything. You should have heard the way she was talking about me! She seduced me! I'm a victim here. I know we can work this out, but you can't act so violently every time I have a little slip up…"

"A 'little slip up,' Ron? If you had caught me with another man, would you have considered it a minor transgression and forgotten it ever happened?"

"What other man are you with? I swear I'll kick his a--"

"There is no other man, Ronald. I was making a point. We no longer have a relationship. We're not friends or lovers. The sooner you realize that, the better things will be for you. I don't even want to look at you right now, and I could never fathom a time where I'd ever want to be your girlfriend again."

The expression on his face was one of confusion, anger, and offense. His eyes narrowed into slits as he fumed, "You are blowing this way out of proportion. I don't know why you're breaking up with me. If anything, I should break up with you for being a bossy, know-it-all, prudish, bit-"

Before he could finish the last word, Ginny cut him off with a furious "Silencio" followed by her famous bat-bogey hex. As he suffered in forced silence, Ginny railed him, "Don't you ever call her that word. She is a good woman, much too good for your sorry ass. I'm happy she's leaving you. As much as I'd love to have her as a sister, it is not worth it to see her suffer your presence for the rest of her life." She directed her attention to me, "I'm sorry about my brother's actions. He truly is an idiot. You'd better get going if you're gonna catch your plane. I'm going to miss you, 'Mione!" She wrapped me into a strong hug, funneling all of her affection into her embrace.

I hugged her back with just as much enthusiasm, "Ginny, I will miss you very much as well. I promise I'll write and visit. I'm not leaving you forever. I could never do that."

When she finally let go, she forced the tormented Ronald out of the room so I could bid Harry farewell in peace before leaving. Harry wrapped me into a huge hug and kissed my forehead affectionately. "Are you sure you don't want to stay? We'd even let you stay here as long as you'd like." He looked at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, but I could tell he already knew what my response would be.

"I have to leave, Harry. I just can't be here right now. You know how much I love you, Ginny, and all of my friends, but I need to get away for myself."

He nodded in a resigned manner, and made me promise to write as soon as I arrived in Forks. After making that final promise, I apparated to my parents' old home. I did not sell it when I put them in hiding in Australia, and I fixed it up after the Death Eaters destroyed it in search of my parents. When I heard of their destruction of our little home, I was very glad that I sent my parents away, and I was also relieved that I had not sold it to anyone else. They probably had no idea what my family looked like, and they would not have hesitated to kill other innocent muggles. Shaking off the thoughts of the war, I loaded my suitcases into the car that my parents had bought me when I turned sixteen, and I drove off to Heathrow Airport.

I called Charlie right after the check-in process was over. It would be about thirty minutes until I could board the plane.

"Hello?" Charlie answered groggily after only two rings.

"Hey, Charlie! Sorry about calling you so early in the morning. I wasn't thinking about time zone differences. It's 15:30 here, which makes it about 6:30 your time, right?"

"Yeah" he said through a muffled yawn. "I was about to get up anyway. Did you get your flight and everything settled?"

"Yes! That's actually why I was calling. I'm boarding my flight in about thirty minutes, which means I should make it there in approximately 17 hours and thirty minutes. Could you pick me up from Seattle at midnight? If not, I'm sure I can find a way to your house."

"Nonsense. I'll be there at midnight. Bella will keep me awake. She's excited to have someone else she knows around here, even if she hasn't seen you much since you were both little girls."

"I'll be thrilled to see her too. I guess I will see you both tonight, then. Thanks again for letting me stay."

"I'm happy to have you. See you tonight."

I sat down and waited until it was time to board the plane. Fortunately, I managed to get a window seat and would not have to worry about people bumping into me when they came down the aisles. Unfortunately, I was seated behind a person who decided it would most benefit him to recline his chair almost into my lap, and the person on my left had a minor case of body odor and loud, angry music was leaking out of his headphones. Rather than attempting to correct their rude behavior, I decided to take out my MP3 player and listen to some quiet music while reading the newest edition of _Hogwarts, A History._ Perhaps some would reprimand me for reading a magical book in front of a plane of muggles, but their fiction contains tales about witches, wizards, vampires, and werewolves. Certainly it could pass for a fictional account if anyone questioned my reading material.

I spent all my time alternating between reading and taking short naps, and after what seemed like 30 hours, I arrived in Seattle. As soon as I got off the plane, I saw two somewhat familiar figures scanning the faces of everyone exiting the plane. Charlie looked very similar to how I remembered him. Bella looked quite a bit different, but I could still tell it was her. We actually looked quite similar. Her eyes and hair were a darker brown, and her hair was not quite as thick, but we were about the same height and build.

Bella noticed me first and started walking toward me without alerting Charlie. He still hadn't recognized me, and it was only after he noticed his daughter straying from him that he followed her to where I was standing. Bella pulled me into a quick hug.

"How've you been, 'Mione? I haven't seen you in ages!" Bella exclaimed.

"I've been good. How about you? I heard you just moved here a few months ago."

"Yeah, it's been different, but I like it here." I noticed a small smile forming on Charlie's lips as she said that, then I turned my attention to Charlie.

"How about you, Charlie? Are you well?" I asked him, giving him a light hug which he returned somewhat awkwardly.

"Of course. Now I have my two best girls staying with me." He replied.

We went to grab my luggage, and they were both surprised by the fact that I only had two suitcases. Charlie knows that I'm a witch, but Bella doesn't yet. She was living with her mom when we told Charlie, and it just hadn't popped up in our limited conversations since then. I planned on telling her, but not until after we were at home.

Bella and I did most of the talking on the drive back to Forks.

"Have you made many friends here?" I asked.

"Oh, I've made a few. Jessica is nice, but we don't really connect very well. She's a bit too 'girly' for me, I guess. Angela is a sweet girl, and I get along with her rather well. Mike has always been nice to me, but he's been a source of conflict between Jessica and me. She's very interested in him, and she can have him as far as I'm concerned. Then there's Alice and Edward Cullen. They're siblings…well through adoption anyway. Alice is very bubbly and charismatic. You'll love her. Edward…he's somewhat moody, but he's a real gentleman. The kind that's hard to find these days…"

I could tell by her tone and the expression on her face that she had romantic interest in this boy. I smiled at the thought of her falling in love, and I hoped it would work out for her, as long as this guy was truly a gentleman and worthy of her affection.

"Oh! I can't forget Jacob! He's the only friend I had when I first arrived. I met him when I was really young. Charlie is the best friend of his dad. He's a couple years younger than I am, but he's rather mature for his age, and spending time with him is fun. So, tell me about this boarding school you attended."

As I glanced at Charlie, I saw him visibly stiffen. I hadn't told him whether or not I was going to let Bella in on my secret, and he seemed a bit uncomfortable with the subject matter, probably more because he thought it would make me feel awkward and uncomfortable. Although I had not planned on telling her until we arrived home, that would be a little while yet, and it didn't make sense to lie right before telling her the truth.

" Bella, I actually have something I've been meaning to tell you about myself. This is going to seem very unrealistic, and you'll probably laugh, but I'm a witch." I confessed.

"'Mione, you're a very sweet person. You're not at all a witch. You shouldn't say such negative things about yourself." Bella scolded me gently.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit, and I saw the slight amusement in Charlie's eyes. "No, I mean I'm really a witch. I practice magic."

She looked startled and then her brows furrowed in confusion. "You mean you are Wiccan? That's cool, I guess. You just never struck me as the type—"

"No. Bella, it'd be easier for me to just show you." I pulled out my wand and said "Lumos" softly, light emitting from the tip of my wand.

Now it was Bella's turn to look amused, "Hermione, that's a cool flashlight, but seriously, it's not magic. Are you training to be a magician?"

I rolled my eyes, not sincerely annoyed, but trying to figure out what I could do to show her without drawing much attention to the car. I put out the light and smirked, knowing exactly what I could do as it was dark and no one would see in the car. I transformed into my animagus form, a small, long-haired brown cat. Bella looked down at me stunned, and Charlie swerved over to the side of the road and stopped the car in shock. He knew I was magical, but he'd never seen any performed. I quickly transformed back into my human form, smirking at both of them. "Do you believe me now?"

Charlie regained composure, knowing that I would not be stuck in my cat form, and that I was not injured, and he pulled back onto the road in silence. We had just arrived in Forks, and it would not be long until I would be in my new home.

Bella finally stopped gaping at me and exclaimed, "That's amazing! So you really are a witch? Wow. So, the school you attended wasn't exactly a normal boarding school, was it?"

"No, I went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's divided into four houses according to the personality traits and intelligence of each student. I was in Gryffindor, the house known for the courage of its members. Instead of the classes you take, we take classes such as Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, and Transfiguration. If you're completely daft and want to learn a bunch of nonsensical rubbish, you can take divination. It's essentially the magical counterpart to your fortune tellers."

We pulled into the driveway, and got out of the car. Charlie grabbed my trunks and lead me to my room as Bella continued to pepper me with questions.

"So what other types of magical creatures exist?"

After safely within the walls of Charlie's house, I answered, "Boggarts, they're tricky little buggers that transform into the thing you fear most. Centaurs, dementors, ghosts, giants, goblins, elves, werewolves, and vampires also exist."

She gave me a strange look when I said the word "vampires," but I assumed it was because of the fear associated with them, and muggles had the right to be afraid of them. Anyone did. They're very powerful creatures.

When we arrived in my room, Charlie glanced over at me to see my assessment, and when I didn't say anything right away he said, "I know it's not as much room as you're used to—"

"It's perfect, Charlie, really." I said, with an earnest smile.

He smiled back, and he set down my luggage, "Bells, I think you've asked her enough for the night. I need to get some sleep because I have work in the morning, and I don't want you girls keeping me up all night with your chattering." He said, only looking partially serious. I knew he really wanted to give me time to rest after my long flight, and although I love Bella and don't mind her questioning, I was secretly grateful. It was a long trip.

Charlie hugged me gently and told me he'd see me tomorrow, slowly making his way to his room. Bella gave me a more enthusiastic hug. "You'll have to tell me everything! Not tonight, of course, or necessarily tomorrow, but over time. This is so cool! 'Night, Hermione!"

I sat down on the bed and looked at my luggage, knowing I should unpack, but I decided it could wait until morning. I took off my shoes and slid under the covers, not even bothering to change into night clothes. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I drifted into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
